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I agree Novatec A291 and F482 hubs are absolutly fine and cheap. They weigh 325g a pair so not the lightest but they are cheap. Alchemy hubs will save 40g but cost more. I would rather spend the money saved elsewhere perhaps on a night out.

A Shamal has almost no spokes which save alot weight. If the rear hub is 220g and spokes are 60g that leaves 540g for the rim so it possible to have aheavy rim and a light wheel. Very low spoke counts are needed though but that is how all these factory wheelset are constructed. spokes are expensive so less of them are used.

bm0p700f wrote:A Shamal has almost no spokes which save alot weight. If the rear hub is 220g and spokes are 60g that leaves 540g for the rim so it possible to have aheavy rim and a light wheel. Very low spoke counts are needed though but that is how all these factory wheelset are constructed. spokes are expensive so less of them are used.

I prefer to have mass at the hub rather than at the rim.

Shamal and Zonda spoke counts are the same.

Shamal hubs will be slightly lighter due to carbon shell and ceramic bearings in some models.

Spokes will be pretty similar weight.

Rims in Shamals will be lighter, and they are a nicer shape (Zondas are more boxy). But I own both and Zondas are better ... though weirdly the braking surface is noticeably inferior, but still fine.

bm0p700f wrote:A Shamal has almost no spokes which save alot weight. If the rear hub is 220g and spokes are 60g that leaves 540g for the rim so it possible to have aheavy rim and a light wheel. Very low spoke counts are needed though but that is how all these factory wheelset are constructed. spokes are expensive so less of them are used.

I prefer to have mass at the hub rather than at the rim.

Note that for the heavy rim you get something extremely solid and pretty stiff by clincher standards, so it's a trade-off.

So. I have currently got Bora One's... Windy weather is upon us, we don't really get winter in the south of Spain... I want to get a new wheelsets and have boiled it down to 2 wheelsets.

Has anyone got opinions on the 2. Shamans seem bomb proof but the f2r being full carbon clincher are way lighter. We do have a lot of mountains/hilly roads which are perfect for the winter training/base miles.

The price point is circa £800 and don't want to spend more than that. Shamals are a cheaper by £200 too....

for that money you'd get some light alu clinchers handbuilt. Tune hubs, cx rays and stans alphas or similar might be an option. Carbon clinchers and Spanish mountains are unlikely to mix when running the brakes. Appreciate you're in Spain so winter is unlikely to be as grimey as more northerly Europe but I would personally still prefer an alu brake track. p.s

You really getting the pair of FFWD wheels for £800? Most retail seems about £1200.

Shamals sound good but really you don't need to spend so much for a training set - Zondas would tick most boxes. That's where I'd go if I wanted a factory wheel for training duties.

I'd 2nd the idea of hand builts that said. There is nothing sadder than wearing out the brake track on shamals only to find out a rebuild will be about £250.. The alphas are a light weight rim - if you are braking heavily / frequently etc I'd go with something else just so it lasts longer than a season or two - I ran thru a rear alpha within about 3k kms of heavier usage, so don't use these rims so much.

I have an archetype build that has been more 'all purpose' with better longevity thus far but really there are loads of good value choices out there, just talk it thru with a good builder.. You don't need to spend anywhere near your budget.